Packaging header for a roll of material and method for packaging a roll of material

ABSTRACT

A packaging for a roll of material, such as a roll of paper, having a cylindrical wall and opposing ends. The packaging comprises a wrapper to be wound about the cylindrical wall of the roll, the wrapper being sized to extend beyond the opposing ends of the roll for folding and crimping extending edges of the wrapper onto said opposing ends; and at least one header to be fitted against the respective ends of the roll and comprising an embossed cellulosic substrate to absorb a volume of crimps when the wrapper is folded and crimped onto the ends and pressure is applied against the ends of the roll. It also relates to a method and a packaging kit for packaging a roll of material, a packaged roll of material, and a packaging header.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35USC§119(e) of US provisional patent application 61/503,229 filed on Jun. 30, 2011, the specification of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The technical field relates to packaging for a roll of material and, more particularly, to a roll of paper. The technical field also relates to a method for packaging a roll of material, a packaged roll of material, and a packaging kit for a roll of material including at least one header.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Web materials, such as paper, are typically packaged in a roll for transportation, storage and/or dispensing. A conventional method of packaging a roll of paper may be summarized as follows, with reference to FIG. 1. As can be seen at step (a), the paper is first wound into a roll R having a cylindrical shape which defines two planar ends and a cylindrical wall extending therebetween. The resulting roll of paper R is then wrapped, at step (b) with one or two layers of wrapper W which is wound about the cylindrical wall. The wrapper W is wider than the length of the roll R, and positioned to have its edges extending beyond both ends of the roll R. At step (c), a paperboard disk, known as an “inside header” IH, is then placed at each end of the wrapped roll of paper in order to provide mechanical protection to the ends of the roll. At step (d), the extending edges of the wrapper W are then folded over a peripheral area of the inside headers IH and crimped to conform to the shape of the paper roll R. At step (e), another paperboard disk, known as an “outside header” OH, is sealed onto the crimps and the inside header at each end of the roll R, to produce a packaged roll of paper. The inside headers are generally made of a thick cardboard, such as chipboard, of a thick laminated cardboard, i.e. two or more chipboards which are glued together, or of a corrugated structure. The outside headers are typically coated with polyethylene (PE).

U.S. Pat. No. 7,913,895 (BOWDEN et al.) discloses an inside roll header formed of corrugated cardboard, chipboard, coated chipboard or laminated kraft paper. U.S. Pat. No. 7,036,663 (ITKONEN et al.) teaches a header made from corrugated board, fiberboard or a laminate.

Upon applying pressure on the wrapped ends of the roll, for example when applying the outside header, or through any additional external pressure such as for example when rolls are stacked on their sides for storage or transportation, the crimps are pressed against the inside header, which typically transfers at least some of the pressure onto the paper roll, thereby forming corresponding recesses on the ends of the paper roll, which deforms, breaks and/or damages the edges of the rolled paper.

Known to the Applicant is U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,322 (LEMAIRE) which teaches a support disc which is secured between the inside and outside headers to relieve pressure from outer end edges of the roll of paper. The support disc is smaller relative to the diameter of the roll to fit within the crimped circumferential edge portions of the wrapper and thus avoid overlapping the crimps. The support disc has a thickness which is at least twice that of the inside header and at least as thick as the crimped portions. Moreover, the material utilized in the construction of the inside header and the support disc is a solid core cardboard material in order to resist to compression when rolls of papers are stacked end to end one on top of another. However, this configuration requires a substantial amount of additional material to be used for each roll of paper to be packaged, which increases cost and requires the consumption of additional resources. Moreover, the additional step of placing a support disc between the inside and outside headers renders the packaging process more complex, more time consuming, less energy efficient, etc. which also increases cost. This change in the process also requires important modifications to be made to existing equipment and manufacturing processes.

In light of the aforementioned, there is a need for an improved system which, by virtue of its design and components, would be able to overcome some of the above-discussed prior art concerns.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an aim of the present invention to address the above mentioned issues.

According to a general aspect, there is provided a packaging for a roll of material having a cylindrical wall and opposing ends. The packaging comprises: a wrapper to be wound about the cylindrical wall of the roll, the wrapper being sized to extend beyond the opposing ends of the roll for folding and crimping extending edges of the wrapper onto said opposing ends; and at least one header to be fitted against the respective ends of the roll and comprising an embossed cellulosic substrate to absorb a volume of crimps when the wrapper is folded and crimped onto the ends and pressure is applied against the ends of the roll.

In an embodiment, the at least one header comprises a pair of headers and the above mentioned “header” or “pair of headers” may be inside header(s) to be placed between the ends of the roll and the crimps of the wrapper. Alternatively, the header(s) may be outside header(s) to be placed over the crimps of the wrapper.

In an embodiment, the at least one of the headers has a grammage higher than about 340 grams per square meter (g/m²).

In an embodiment, the above-mentioned pair of headers is a pair of inside headers to be placed on each of the opposing ends of the roll of material, the packaging further including a pair of outside headers to be secured over the crimps and the inside headers on each of the opposing ends of the roll of material. In an embodiment, at least one of the outside headers can comprise an embossed cellulosic substrate.

The embossing of the inside headers provides a “spongy” texture which can be squeezed when pressure is applied against thereon, for example when packaged rolls of paper are stacked on their ends. This squeezing or compression prevents the pressure to be directly transferred onto the end surfaces of the roll and thus better protects those surfaces from crimp marks.

According to another general aspect, there is provided a packaged roll of material comprising: a roll of material having a cylindrical wall and opposing ends; a wrapper to be wound about the cylindrical wall of the roll, the wrapper being sized to extend beyond the opposing ends for folding and crimping extending edges of the wrapper onto said opposing ends; and a pair of headers to be fitted against respective ones of the opposing ends of the roll, at least one of the headers comprising an embossed cellulosic substrate to absorb a volume of crimps when the wrapper is folded and crimped onto the ends and pressure is applied against the ends of the roll.

The above mentioned pair of headers may be a pair of inside headers to be placed under the crimps of the wrapper or a pair of outside headers to be placed over the crimps.

According to another general aspect, there is provided a packaging header to cover an end of a roll of material to be wound in a wrapper which is sized to extend beyond the end of the roll, for folding and crimping an extending edge of the wrapper onto said end, thereby forming crimps on the end of the roll, said packaging header comprising: an embossed cellulosic substrate to absorb a volume of the crimps when pressure is applied against the end of the roll.

The header may be an inside header to be placed between the end of the roll and the crimps of the wrapper. Alternatively, header may be an outside header to be placed over the crimps of the wrapper.

In an embodiment, the embossed cellulosic substrate is lined with at least one lining material (or skin), for providing a surface to facilitate manipulating the header by suction, according to conventional equipment. The lining material can also provide moisture barrier properties to at least one air, water, and gases. The liner also cooperates with the embossed cellulosic substrate in order to make the header more rigid, etc. Alternatively, the header comprises at a minimum, the layer of embossed cellulosic substrate, provided that suitable equipment and/or processes are used to manipulate this header. Still alternatively, the embossed cellulosic substrate is sandwiched between two liners. In an embodiment, each one of the liners can include one or more layers of similar or different materials superposed to one another.

In an embodiment, there is provided a set of two of the above-described headers to fit on corresponding opposing ends of the roll of material.

In an embodiment, the packaging header is an inside header to be placed directly on the end of the roll and underneath the crimped edge of the wrapper. Alternatively or additionally, an outside header (to be placed over the crimps and an inside header, if any), corresponds to the above-mentioned packaging header.

According to yet another aspect, there is provided a packaging kit for packaging a roll of material having a cylindrical wall and opposing ends, the kit comprising: a wrapper to be wound about the cylindrical wall of the roll, the wrapper being sized to extend beyond the opposing ends of the roll for folding and crimping extending edges of the wrapper onto said opposing ends; and a pair of headers to be fitted against the respective ends of the roll, each of the headers comprising a layer of an embossed cellulosic substrate to absorb a volume of crimps when the wrapper is folded and crimped onto the ends and pressure is applied against the ends of the roll.

In the present description, the term “material” when used in the expression “roll of material” refers to any rollable sheet of material which may include paper, cardboard, tissue paper (roll of toilet paper), towel paper, plastic, fabric, metal, composite materials and/or the like. The term “roll of material” may further extend to include roll-shaped articles, which may be wrapped similarly to a roll of paper and which may require similar needs of protecting the ends thereof when pressure is applied.

In the present description, the term “wrapper” refers to any flexible sheet of material which may be suitably wound about a roll of material, such as a roll of paper, or about a roll-shaped article, and which may be folded and crimped over the ends of the roll or roll-shaped article. For example, and without being limitative, the wrapper may be made of two liners each having a grammage between 112 and 162 grams per square meter (g/m²) and a thickness between 16 and 20 pts

In the expression “embossed cellulosic substrate” of the present description, the term “cellulosic substrate” refers to a sheet of material which can be suitably embossed to provide a flexible embossing, in that the raised portions of the embossed cellulosic substrate can be squeezed down locally where pressure is applied. The “cellulosic substrate” may include any suitable fibrous material, such as wood-fiber based paperboard, wood-fiber based cardboards, wood-fiber based chipboard, or molded pulp, as well as boards including cellulose fibers and, more particularly, paperboards and boards thicker than 10 pts (0.01 inch), and/or the like. It includes medium and high weight paper substrates having a grammage higher than 200 g/m². It includes, without limitation, virgin and recycled materials and single and multi-ply materials.

Still, according to another aspect, there is provided a method of packaging a roll of material using the above-mentioned packaging header.

Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of embodiments thereof, given for the purpose of exemplification only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic flowchart showing steps of a process of packaging a roll of paper, according to the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a roll of paper being wrapped with a wrapper, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the roll of paper shown in FIG. 2 wrapped in the wrapper and being provided with inside headers.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the roll of paper shown in FIG. 2 with wrapper ends crimped on roll ends and being provided with outside headers.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of a header in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-section view of a liner for the header shown in FIG. 5 in accordance with an embodiment, wherein the liner includes a mono-extrusion barrier.

FIG. 7 shows a composition of a liner for the header shown in FIG. 5 in accordance with another embodiment, wherein the liner includes a co-extruded barrier structure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a lamination process for obtaining the header shown in FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, the same numerical references refer to similar elements. The embodiments, geometrical configurations, materials mentioned and/or dimensions shown in the figures or described in the present description are embodiments only, given for exemplification purposes only.

Although the embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprise certain components, and although the embodiments of the packaging and corresponding parts thereof consist of certain geometrical configurations as explained and illustrated herein, not all of these components and geometries are essential and thus should not be taken in their restrictive sense, i.e. should not be taken as to limit the scope of the present invention. It is to be understood, as also apparent to a person skilled in the art, that other suitable components, and cooperation therebetween, as well as other suitable geometrical configurations and materials may be used for the packaging or packaging header, as will be briefly explained herein and as can be easily inferred herefrom, by a person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Broadly described, the packaging header according to an embodiment, as exemplified in the accompanying drawings, is a disc member to be placed on an end of a roll of material, such as a roll of paper, which has embossing in order to absorb the pressure of crimps formed by a wrapper folded thereon, and thus avoid transferring this pressure onto the roll of material. The packaging header thereby can better protect the integrity of the material forming the roll. For example, and without being limitative, a roll of paper packaged using the packaging header typically ranges between 36 inches and 60 inches in diameter, and 24 inches and 100 inches in length.

According to an embodiment, and as better illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4, there is provided a packaging 10 for a roll 12 of paper having a cylindrical wall 14 and two opposing ends 16. The packaging 10 includes a wrapper 18 to be wound about the cylindrical wall 14 of the roll 12, the wrapper 18 being sized to extend beyond the opposing ends 16 of the roll 12 and define extending edges 20 of the wrapper 18. The packaging 10 can further include a pair of inside headers 22 and a pair of outside headers 26 to be fitted against the respective ends 16 of the roll 12, as described in more details below.

The extending edges 20 of the wrapper 18 are folded against the ends 16 and crimped to form crimps 24 on a peripheral portion at the opposing ends 16 of the roll 12, over the inside headers 22, if any.

The inside headers 22 are fitted directly against the respective ends 16 of the roll 12, i.e. they are placed under the crimps 24 of the wrapper 12.

The outside headers 26 are fitted against crimps 24 formed on the respective ends 16 of the roll 12. More particularly, the outside headers 26 are secured over the crimps 24 and the inside header 22 on each of the opposing ends 16 of the roll 12 of paper.

In an embodiment, each of the inside headers 22 includes a layer of an embossed structure 28 to absorb a volume of crimps 22 when the wrapper is folded and crimped onto the ends 16 and pressure is applied against the ends 16 of the roll, as can be understood by a person skilled in the art when referring to the accompanying drawings. In an embodiment, the embossed structure 28 includes an embossed cellulosic substrate, more particularly, an embossed wood fiber based substrate.

The embossing of the headers, either inside or outside headers 22, 26, provides a “spongy” texture which can be squeezed when pressure is applied thereon, for example when packaged rolls of paper are stacked on their ends. This squeezing or compression lowers the pressure transferred onto the end surfaces of the roll and thus better protects those surfaces from crimp marks.

It is to be understood, that according to an alternative embodiment, the inside header 22 may be made from a conventional chipboard (not embossed), while the outside header 26 includes an embossed cellulosic substrate such as the one described herein. In such a case, the outside header 26 absorbs the volume of the crimps. Still according to an alternative embodiment, both the inside header 22 and the outside header 26 includes the above-mentioned embossed cellulosic substrate. In such a case where the inside and outside headers 22, 26 cooperate to provide the cushion, a lighter embossing may be sufficient on each of the inside and outside headers 22, 26 (i.e. each header is not required to be as thick as in the case where only one of the headers is embossed, though the same total thickness can be achieved). The thickness requirements of the embossed cellulosic substrate will be better understood in light of the following explanations.

Still in another alternative embodiment, only one of the inside headers 22 and/or only one of the outside headers 26 can include an embossed cellulosic substrate. If both the inside and outside headers 22, 26 are embossed, they can be superposed to the same roll end 16.

In an embodiment, the packaging headers 22, 26 are sized and shaped for covering a sufficient portion of the end of the roll, in order to suitably protect the edge of the rolled material. The packaging headers 22, 26 are also sized and shaped for producing a desirable shape when the extending edge of the wrapper is folded and crimped over the end of the roll. In an embodiment, the diameter of the packaging header substantially corresponds to the diameter of the roll. In an embodiment, the packaging header is a substantially circular disk. In an embodiment, the diameter of the packaging header is slightly narrower than the diameter of the wrapped roll.

Crimps 24 appear where the wrapper 18 is creased over the end 16 of the roll 12, generally forming an “S” shaped fold. A crimp 24 is thus about three times (3×) thicker than the wrapper 18. Moreover, the wrapper 18 is usually wound about the roll of material 12 with an overlap (i.e. the end of the wound wrapper overlaps a portion of the wrapper having been wound about the roll 12). This results in an overlapping strip having a double layer of wrapper 18. Where the wrapper 18 has such an overlap, the corresponding area of the crimps 24 reaches a thickness of six times (6×) the thickness of the wrapper 18. In some cases, the wrapper 18 is wound twice about the roll 12, with an overlapping strip in addition. In such a case, the overlapping strip has three layers of wrapper 18. Accordingly, the corresponding area of the crimps 24 reaches a thickness of nine times (9×) the thickness of the wrapper 18.

For example, in the case of a wrapper 18 having a thickness of 10 pts (0.254 mm) and which is wound once about a roll of paper 12 with an overlap, the thickness of a corresponding crimp 24 would be of about 30 pts where there is one layer of wrapper 18, and of about 60 pts where the wrapper 18 overlaps. If the same wrapper 18 is wound twice about the roll of paper 12, still with an overlap, the thickness of a corresponding crimp 24 would be of about 60 pts where there are two layers of wrapper 18, and of about 90 pts where the wrapper 18 overlaps.

Thus, in an embodiment, the embossed packaging header has sufficient bulk (or “cushioning”) to absorb the thickness of crimps 24 for a particular wrapper 18. As apparent in light of the above explanations, the thickness of the crimps 24 depends highly on the thickness of the wrapper 18 and the highest number of layers of wrapper 18 present about the roll of material 12. In other words, the header 22, 26, including an embossed substrate, can have a thickness at least equal to three times the thickness of the wrapper 18 where it is the thickest (i.e. where it has the most number of layers), i.e. including the superposed layers but excluding the crimps. For instance and without being limitative, in the case of a wrapper 18 having a thickness of 10 pts (0.254 mm) and which is wound twice about a roll of paper 12 with an overlap, the thickness of the header 24, 26 should be at least 90 pts since the wrapper has a thickness of 30 pts where it overlaps. If the embossed substrate is not sufficiently thick to absorb the whole thickness of the crimps 24, it may still provide some “cushion effect” which may be sufficient in some cases.

For instance and without being limitative, embossing a 27 pts chipboard to obtain an embossed paperboard of 90 pts provides a sufficient cushion to support a crimp of about 90 pts.

Moreover, tests have shown that to prevent crimp marks on a roll 12 of newsprint paper, with one layer of wrapper 18 of 16 pts and an overlap, thereby reaching a thickness of 96 pts for the crimps 24 in the overlapping section, headers 22, 26 of at least 70 pts are required. Therefore, in order to counter the effect of the thickest crimp 24 on the roll of material 12, the thickness of the headers 22, 26 should be at least 75% of the thickness of the thickest crimp 24.

A cross section of an inside header 22 according to an embodiment, is schematically represented in FIG. 5. According to this embodiment, there is provided an embossed structure 28 which is sandwiched between two liners 30, 32, each one of the liners 30, 32 being superposed to a respective face of the embossed structure 28. Amongst others, the liners 30, 32 facilitate manipulation of the header 22, 26 by suction, according to conventional equipment. The liners 30, 32 can also cooperate with the embossed cellulosic substrate in order to make the header more rigid, etc.

In an alternative embodiment, the header 22, 26 can include only on liner or can be liner free, i.e. it solely includes the embossed cellulosic substrate 28.

One skilled in the art would appreciate that the header shown in FIG. 5 can be used as an outside header 26.

Composition of the Header Liners

Each of the liners 30, 32 may be made of any suitable cellulosic substrate 50, which may include for example a thin paper such as newspaper (3 points or 0.003 inches) thin printing paper, linerboard (30 g/m² to 350 g/m²), chipboard (17 to 135 points or beyond), kraft bag paper (30 g/m² to 350 g/m²). It is to be noted that 1 point (pt) is equivalent to a thickness of 0.001 inch.

In an embodiment, and without being limitative, the cellulosic substrate 50, may range between a density of 30 g/m² and 350 g/m² and a thickness of 3 to 25 pts. Therefore, one skilled in the art will easily understand that the liners are thin components.

The liners 30, 32 may be a laminate, i.e. two sheets of paper and/or cardboard, as cellulosic substrates 50, adhered together with a barrier against fluid and/or gases, such as and without being limitative water and water vapors. For example, two sheets of paper and/or cardboard may be adhered together with such a barrier. The lamination may be done by plastic extrusion. The lamination process may be wet or dry.

Materials for a barrier may include, without being limitative, low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), and/or the like, as well as any suitable combination thereof. The barrier may be a mono-extrusion barrier 52, as illustrated in FIG. 6. The barrier may also be a co-extruded structure 54 such as LDPE/HDPE/LDPE, as exemplified in FIG. 7. Thus, the laminate may include one or more polymer and/or may be layered (i.e. having multiple layers). Other polymers used for forming the barrier may include ethylene methacrylate (EMA), nylon, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polylactic acid (PLA), any equivalents thereof, and/or any combination thereof and/or any other suitable extrusion polymer. Moreover, a co-extruded barrier may comprise any suitable number of layers, for example five, seven or nine layers or more if available.

Moreover, the barrier may be provided by water based adhesive such as and without being limitative starch, polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH), polyvinylidene chloride (PVCD), butadiene styrene, and/or the like. Various conventional gluing machines may be used for the layering process, for example a roller spreader, Mayer rod, spray, blade coater, fountain applicator, and/or the like. Moreover, the adhesive may be foam glue, such as Henkell™ foam glue. The amount of adhesive may vary between 5 g/m² to 50 g/m² or more. Once again, multiple layers of adhesive may be applied, in order to obtain the desired structure, such as starch/latex/starch, or any combination thereof.

Hot melt adhesives for laminating the two cellulosic substrates may be applied by vaporization. An example of such hot melt adhesives is 1462A provided by Technical Adhesives™. Other examples include Technomelt™ q1214, Producer™ 32-0276 and Ultimate Control™ 32-724 A provided by Henkell™. An example of a vapor applicator is Nordson™. Steam rollers may be used for applying hot melt adhesive.

In an alternative embodiment, the cellulosic substrate(s) 50 of the liners 30, 32 may be coated, either on one side or both sides. For instance, polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), and PE coatings can be applied. In an embodiment, at least one of the liners 30, 32 is coated on an outer side thereof, i.e. the side opposed to the barrier 52, 54.

Referring back to FIG. 5, the liners 30, 32 may have identical, similar of different compositions. The material for making the inside header 22 may thus be provided according to one of the following combinations:

one liner (30 or 32) having a barrier layer and the other liner being without a barrier layer;

both liners 30, 32 having a barrier layer; and

neither of the liners 30, 32 having a barrier layer but, solely a cellulosic substrate 50.

Following are non-limitative examples of materials which may be used as liners:

paper material having a density of 88 g/m² with a thickness of 5,5 pts (or 172 μm);

paper material having a density of 128 g/m² with a thickness of 8 pts (or 244 μm);

paper material having a density of 272 g/m² with a thickness of 15 pts (or 389 μm);

newspaper having a density of 0.45 g/m² with a thickness of 3 pts (or 79,1 μm).

Composition of the Embossed Structure

Still with reference to FIG. 5, the embossed structure 28 may be provided according to conventional embossing technology, thus allowing the use of existing machinery and equipment. Embossing is typically accomplished by applying pressure and optionally heat with male and female dies, usually made of stainless steel, ceramic, copper or brass, which fit together and squeeze the fibers of the substrate.

According to an embodiment, the cellulosic substrate used for manufacturing the embossed structure 28 is a 21-point chipboard. Depending on the particular embodiment, the thickness may vary between 12 and 50 pts before the embossing. Alternatively, the thickness may be of any suitable thickness. The following are examples of materials which may be used as the embossed cellulosic substrate:

paperboard having a density of 370 g/m² with an initial thickness of 21 pts (or 528 μm), which after embossing has a thickness of 63 pts (or 1604 μm);

paperboard having a density of 420 g/m² with an initial thickness of 27 pts (or 686 μm), which after embossing has a thickness of 84 pts (or 2129 μm); and

paperboard having a density of 517 g/m² with an initial thickness of 35 pts (or 890 μm), which after embossing has a thickness of 99 pts (or 2506 μm).

In an embodiment, and without being limitative, the cellulosic substrate used for manufacturing the embossed structure, may range between a density of 200 g/m² and 500 g/m² and a thickness between 40 and 100 pts after embossing.

Similarly to the liners, the cellulosic substrate forming the embossed structure may contain a barrier against water, vapors and/or gases, or alternatively, the cellulosic substrate may not contain any such barrier. Moreover, polymers and applications similar to those of the liners may be used for the embossed structure.

A barrier may be applied during the embossing process, for example, by vaporizing the barrier on the embossed structure or laying a plastic film prior to embossing and proceeding to embossing the plastic film with the chipboard. The embossed structure may also be made of the same composition as the liners 30 and/or 32.

Lamination Process

FIG. 8 depicts the lamination process for obtaining the structure 21 shown in FIG. 5, which can be used as a header 22, 26, according to an embodiment. A web 27 of paperboard is embossed with embossing rollers 34, 36. The resulting embossed structure 28 is then laminated with liners 30, 32 in a lamination unit 40. In an alternative embodiment, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the embossed structure 28 can be laminated on only one side.

In a non-limitative embodiment, a dextrin based adhesive is used in the lamination of the embossed structure 28 with the liners 30, 32. In this embodiment, the dextrin based adhesive is applied at a temperature between 35° Celsius and 40° Celsius. The use of the dextrin based adhesive allows the humidity rate of the produced structure 21 to be approximately 10-11% when exiting the lamination unit 40. Such a humidity rate allows a greater rigidity and flatness of the produced structure 21, which is desirable.

According to an alternative embodiment, one or both liners 30, 32 can be coated on one side or on both sides of the embossed cellulosic structure 28. The coating can provide a barrier to fluids, gazes or the like. For instance and without being limitative, polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), and PE coatings can be applied. In an embodiment, at least one of the liners 30, 32 is coated on an outer side thereof, i.e. the side opposed to the embossed cellulosic structure 28.

Referring back to FIG. 8, the resulting material 21 is directly dried, if necessary, and may then be formed into sheets to be die-cut later on into a disk shape to form the headers 22, 26. Alternatively, the material 21 (after drying, if necessary) may be immediately die-cut to header size and shape, and then stacked.

According to alternative embodiments, the embossed paperboard 28 is first cut into sheets or die-cut into disks for making headers, and lined afterwards with correspondingly shaped liners.

As a non-limitative example, an embossed cellulosic substrate 28 of originally 342 g/m², having a thickness of 70 to 80 pts, and being laminated with two newspaper liners 30, 32 may result in a structure of 454 g/m² having a thickness of 89,7 pts (or 2277 μm). The final structure can be used either as an inside header 22 and/or an outside header 26.

Test Results

The necessary pressure for compressing the inside header 22 was measured in order to measure the capacity of the inside header 22 to absorb the volume taken by the crimps 24.

According to tests, a conventional cardboard of approximately 2 mm, such as a chipboard (not embossed) can be compressed up to about 0.5 mm before the recorded pressure increases noticeably. Beyond this 0.5 mm threshold, the pressure which is subjected to the header is considerably increased. It could thus be concluded that the capacity of an inside header made of chipboard to absorb volume, is of 0.5 mm. In contrast, the capacity of embossed paperboard material to absorb a volume of crimps can attain 1.2 mm.

The capacity can be greater for corrugate materials. However, in most cases, it is not necessary to have such high capacity. Moreover, embossed paperboard materials are more economical than corrugate materials. It should also be noted that the embossed materials may be further embossed so as to attain similar capacities as those of the corrugate materials. Indeed, the depth, shape and density of the embossing may be varied as required.

The following are non-limitative examples of constructions for the header, which may be used according to the desired performance and application:

For light protection for newsprint paper, medium paperboards having a density of 126 g/m² may be used as liners 30, 32, and a liner paperboard having a density of 205 g/m² may be used as embossed cellulosic substrate 28;

Again for light protection for newsprint paper, medium paperboards having a density of 126 g/m² may be used as liners 30, 32, and a liner paperboard having a density of 278 g/m² may be used as embossed cellulosic substrate 28;

Again for light protection for newsprint paper, medium paperboards having a density of 112 g/m² may be used as liners 30, 32, and a liner paperboard having a density 278 g/m² may be used as embossed cellulosic substrate 28;

For medium protection for coated paper, medium paperboards having a density of 126 g/m² may be used as liners 30, 32, and a 21 pts chipboard may be used as embossed cellulosic substrate 28;

Again for medium and waterproof protection for coated paper, medium paperboards having a density of 126 g/m² may be used as liners 30, 32, one of the liner having a PE coating, and a 21 pts chipboard may be used as embossed cellulosic substrate 28;

For heavy duty protection for coated paper or steel product, 25 pts chipboards may be used as liners 30, 32, and a 21 pts chipboard may be used as embossed cellulosic substrate 28;

For heavy duty protection for coated paper, 25 pts linerboard may be used as liners 30, 32, and a 21 pts chipboard may be used as embossed cellulosic substrate 28.

The embossed packaging headers are advantageous in that the volume of the embossed substrate allows the crimps to be absorbed therein and avoids transferring pressure on the end surfaces of the roll of material, in order to protect those surfaces from crimp marks. The embossed substrate creates a cushion to “hide” or absorb the volume taken from the crimps into the structure and avoids transferring the corresponding pressure onto the wrapped roll of material, for example when the wrapped rolls are stacked one on top of another on their ends.

Embodiments of the embossed cellulosic headers are also advantageous in that the packaging process can be achieved with essentially known processes and existing equipment.

Numerous other modifications could be made to the above-described packaging header, packaging and/or packaged roller, without departing from the scope of the present invention. The above-described embodiments are considered in all respect only as illustrative and not restrictive, and the present application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations thereof, as apparent to a person skilled in the art.

Moreover, although the embossed cellulosic headers provide improved packaging components suitable for rolls of paper, the above-described embodiments may alternatively apply to various types of rolled materials or roll-like articles which may similarly require protection from crimp marks or the like.

The above-described embodiments are considered in all respect only as illustrative and not restrictive, and the present application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations thereof, as apparent to a person skilled in the art. Of course, numerous other modifications could be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, as apparent to a person skilled in the art.

Several alternative embodiments and examples have been described and illustrated herein. The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to be exemplary only. A person of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate the features of the individual embodiments, and the possible combinations and variations of the components. A person of ordinary skill in the art would further appreciate that any of the embodiments could be provided in any combination with the other embodiments disclosed herein. It is understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The present examples and embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein. Accordingly, while the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention. The scope of the invention is therefore intended to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims. 

1. A packaging for a roll of material having a cylindrical wall and opposing ends, the packaging comprising: a wrapper to be wound about the cylindrical wall of the roll, the wrapper being sized to extend beyond the opposing ends of the roll for folding and crimping extending edges of the wrapper onto said opposing ends; and at least one header to be fitted against the respective ends of the roll and comprising an embossed cellulosic substrate to absorb a volume of crimps when the wrapper is folded and crimped onto the ends and pressure is applied against the ends of the roll.
 2. A packaging as claimed in claim 1, wherein the embossed cellulosic substrate is wood fiber based.
 3. A packaging as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one header is thicker than about 60 pts.
 4. A packaging as claimed in claim 1, wherein the embossed cellulosic substrate is thicker than about 40 pts.
 5. A packaging as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one header has a grammage higher than about 340 grams per square meter (g/m²).
 6. A packaging as claimed in claim 1, wherein the embossed cellulosic substrate has a grammage higher than about 200 grams per square meter (g/m²).
 7. A packaging as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wrapper has a wrapper thickness and the at least one header has a header thickness, the header thickness being at least twice thicker than the wrapper thickness.
 8. A packaging as claimed in claim 1, wherein the crimps formed by the crimping of the extending edges of the wrapper onto the opposing ends of the roll have a crimps thickness and the at least one header has a header thickness, the header thickness being at least 75% of a thickest crimps thickness.
 9. A packaging as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one header comprises at least one liner superposed to embossed cellulosic substrate.
 10. A packaging as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one liner comprises a cellulosic substrate coated on at least one side with a plastic layer.
 11. A packaging as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one liner comprises a laminate including two cellulosic substrates and a barrier layer extending between the two cellulosic substrates.
 12. A packaging as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one header comprises an inside header to be placed between the ends of the roll and the crimps of the wrapper.
 13. A packaging as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one header comprises an outside header to be placed over the crimps of the wrapper.
 14. A packaging as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one header comprises a pair of headers.
 15. A packaging as claimed in claim 14, wherein the pair of headers comprises a pair of inside headers to be placed on each of the opposing ends of the roll of material and the packaging further comprises a pair of outside headers to be secured over the crimps and the inside headers on each of the opposing ends of the roll of material.
 16. A packaged roll of material comprising: a roll of material having a cylindrical wall and opposing ends; a wrapper to be wound about the cylindrical wall of the roll, the wrapper being sized to extend beyond the opposing ends for folding and crimping extending edges of the wrapper onto said opposing ends; and a pair of headers to be fitted against respective ones of the opposing ends of the roll, at least one of the headers comprising an embossed cellulosic substrate to absorb a volume of crimps when the wrapper is folded and crimped onto the ends and pressure is applied against the ends of the roll.
 17. A packaged roll of material as claimed in claim 16, wherein the pair of headers comprises at least one of a pair of inside headers to be placed under the crimps of the wrapper and a pair of outside headers to be placed over the crimps.
 18. A packaged roll of material as claimed in claim 16, wherein the at least one of the headers is thicker than about 60 pts.
 19. A packaged roll of material as claimed in claim 16, wherein the embossed cellulosic substrate is thicker than about 40 pts.
 20. A packaged roll of material as claimed in claim 16, wherein the at least one of the headers has a grammage higher than about 340 grams per square meter (g/m²).
 21. A packaged roll of material as claimed in claim 16, wherein the embossed cellulosic substrate has a grammage higher than about 200 grams per square meter (g/m²).
 22. A packaged roll of material as claimed in claim 16, wherein the at least one of the headers comprises at least one liner superposed to embossed cellulosic substrate.
 23. A packaging header to cover an end of a roll of material to be wound in a wrapper which is sized to extend beyond the end of the roll, for folding and crimping an extending edge of the wrapper onto said end, thereby forming crimps on the end of the roll, said packaging header comprising: an embossed cellulosic substrate to absorb a volume of the crimps when pressure is applied against the end of the roll.
 24. A packaging header as claimed in claim 23, wherein the packaging header comprises an inside packaging header to be placed between the end of the roll and the crimps of the wrapper.
 25. A packaging header as claimed in claim 23, wherein the packaging header comprises an outside packaging header to be placed over the crimps of the wrapper.
 26. A packaging kit for packaging a roll of material having a cylindrical wall and opposing ends, the kit comprising: a wrapper to be wound about the cylindrical wall of the roll, the wrapper being sized to extend beyond the opposing ends of the roll for folding and crimping extending edges of the wrapper onto said opposing ends; and a pair of headers to be fitted against the respective ends of the roll, each of the headers comprising a layer of an embossed cellulosic substrate to absorb a volume of crimps when the wrapper is folded and crimped onto the ends and pressure is applied against the ends of the roll.
 27. A method of packaging a roll of material having a pair of spaced-apart roll ends and an outer roll surface extending between the roll ends, the method comprising: Surrounding the outer roll surface with a first section of a wrapper; Crimping a second section of the wrapper, contiguous with the first section, over a respective one of the roll ends; and Wherein the method further comprises at least one of: superposing an inside header including an embossed cellulosic substrate to the respective one of the roll ends and wherein the second section of the wrapper is crimped over the inside header, and superposing an outside header including an embossed cellulosic substrate over the crimped second section of the wrapper.
 28. A method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the wrapper has a wrapper thickness, the method further comprising selecting the at least one of the inside header and the outside header for having a header thickness at least twice thicker than the wrapper thickness.
 29. A method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the at least one header comprises at least one liner superposed to embossed cellulosic substrate.
 30. A method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the embossed cellulosic substrate is sandwiched between two liners.
 31. A method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the method comprises: superposing an inside header including an embossed cellulosic substrate to the respective one of the roll ends and wherein the second section of the wrapper is crimped over the inside header; and superposing an outside header including an embossed cellulosic substrate over the crimped second section of the wrapper. 